The New Aspect of Criminal Psychology

Carl Jung

Newcomb Livraria Press

About this ebook

In a rare foray into Criminal Psychology, Jung describes here how an individual's responses to critical stimuli, particularly those related to the crime in question, can reveal underlying emotional complexes or knowledge about the crime. These responses, termed 'complex traits', include reaction times, emotional reactions and verbal responses, all of which can provide valuable clues to a person's involvement in a crime. The article acknowledges that while these results do not provide definitive proof of guilt, they do provide valuable insights for further investigation. It highlights the need for careful selection of stimulus words, the potential for both innocent and guilty individuals to show emotional responses, and the importance of psychoanalysis in interpreting the results. It also suggests that the cumulative work of many researchers may lead to more reliable diagnoses in individual cases in the future.

This edition is a new 2023 translation from the original manuscript with an Afterword by the Translator, a philosophic index of Jung's terminology and a timeline of his life and works.

This article is a translation from the Italian version published in 1908, because the original German (Neue aspekte der kriminalpsychologie) it was translated from has been lost. This Italian article "Le nuove vedute della psicologia criminale; contributo al metodo della "Diagnosi della conoscenza del fatto" was published in Bologna, July-August 1908) pp. 285-304. The article, translated by L. Baroncini from a German manuscript that was sent to him, but the original was not published in German, and can no longer be found. Part of this article is clearly from Jung's 1909 lecture at Clark University, so presumably, Jung sent a modified version of this lecture for publication.

About the author

A massively influential Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, Jung founded the field of analytical psychology and built the modern concepts of Therapy. His concepts of the collective unconscious and archetypes were influential in understanding human psychology. Jung’s theories on personality, including the notions of introversion and extraversion, have left a lasting mark on psychology and psychotherapy to this day.